Better Capital

Better Capital Research Document Investment Thesis Better Capital is a US-based pre-seed fund purpose-built to back India's breakout founders building for both Indian and global markets. The fund operates on the principle that the best time to add value to founders is at Day 0, where ambiguity is highest and early judgment has the longest half-life. Founded and led by solo GP Vaibhav Domkundwar, a lifelong entrepreneur with two decades of startup operating experience, Better Capital believes in being "first believers, not permanent drivers" - investing early with capital and clarity, then stepping back as companies scale and new partners join. Investment Approach & Philosophy Better Capital's approach is deliberately contrarian and thesis-driven. Rather than chasing trends, they identify market opportunities early and invest with conviction before they become obvious. Key elements include: Day 0 conviction investing at the earliest stages, maintaining high-conviction decisions through solo GP model, scaling judgment not time, and leveraging powerful founder networks. Stage and Check Size Focus Primary Stage: Pre-seed and early seed. Check Size Range: $300K to $1M+ (median $300K). Typical Ownership: 8-12% at pre-seed when they lead. Follow-on: Selective capital deployed where early signals strengthen conviction. Geographic & Thematic Focus Primary Market: India. Secondary Markets: USA (20+ companies), Singapore, UK, UAE. Core thesis areas include: Outcome-as-a-Service, Vertical Quick Commerce, AI-Led Transformation, India ConsumerTech (AI-First), Energy & Sustainability, Fintech Infrastructure, Developer Tools, Voice AI, AI-First Productivity, and Physical Intelligence. Sector Distribution Heavy fintech concentration (50+ companies across B2C and B2B). Strong vertical SaaS and horizontal software (30+ companies). Meaningful EdTech portfolio (20+). Diverse consumer tech (20+). Strategic concentration in climate/sustainability (9). Early-stage physical intelligence and gaming (15+). Meaningful AI-first company concentration (20+). Recent Activity & Fund Status Fund Status: Actively deploying from $100M+ AUM. Last Known Activity: December 2025. Portfolio: 240+ companies. Notable exits: 2 Unicorns (Slice, Open), 23 companies worth $100M+, 10+ profitable exits with 6x-90x returns, 35 shutdowns with partial capital returns. Team & Decision Making Leadership: Vaibhav Domkundwar, Founder & CEO (Solo GP). Background: Two decades startup experience, co-founder of Roamware and Better Labs. Decision Process: Solo GP model enables fast decision-making and high engagement. Lead Tendency: Leads rounds. Timeline: Fast. Fund Mechanics Fund Structure: Solo GP-led. Portfolio Governance: Light-touch approach, deep engagement with 20-25 companies at key inflection points. Capital Deployment: Standard check size $300K-$1M, 8-12% target ownership at pre-seed, selective follow-on in top performers. Founder Preferences Strong Preference For: Execution quality, domain expertise, narrative clarity, distribution advantages, audacity paired with wisdom, research-led founders. Against: Regulatory exposed teams, execution-wise mismatches, market-but-no-product plays. Summary Better Capital is a high-conviction, thesis-driven pre-seed fund with deep expertise in India's startup ecosystem and proven ability to identify breakout themes early. Solo GP model enables fast decisions and high engagement at critical moments. Greatest strength is operator experience applied at Day 0, combined with powerful founder network driving deal flow and value creation. Best positioned for founders with strong conviction, technical depth, building durable businesses in emerging categories.